july2022 - 24

STAR TECHS: THE NEXT GENERATION
Meet the next wave of
highly skilled recruits
being molded at stateof-the-art
diesel school
NVI-Blairsville.
Adam Duplin, diesel department
coordinator at NVI-Blairsville in
Pennsylvania, started learning
about truck maintenance with his
dad, the owner of a small fleet of
dump trucks, in his driveway (and
sometimes during road calls). While
he grew up immersed in the world
of maintenance, he said that's not
a prerequisite to thrive in a shop.
" We can take a student with
little mechanical knowledge
whatsoever, and develop them
into a great entry-level technician, "
Duplin asserted.
One of these may be Bryce
Williamson, a 19-year-old from
Daytona Beach, a former football
player who left college and a kinesiology
degree in sunny Florida to
pursue a new career in the
Pennsylvania wilder ness
in April. There is nary a
night club in sight, though
a Walmart is across the street.
" I've never changed
even a light bulb before
I came up here-the
only thing I did with
anything is fill up my
car with gas, " Williamson
admitted. He's now a lot more
confident in his abilities, and
when he talks to his grandfather,
a truck driver for Walmart, about
the profession, he can keep up.
" When he started talking about
things back then [before attending
NVI], my head would get lost, "
he said. " Now, we have a little bit
more conversation about things. "
Williamson already learned one of
the most important lessons-the
ability to do his job correctly
directly impacts people on the
road. " I wouldn't want anyone to
put his life in danger, so I need to
do my job the best I can, " he said.
The diesel technology school also
is attracting people burnt out from
other trades. Jonathan Lawson
from nearby Indiana, Pennsylvania,
was a factory worker who assembled,
sandblasted, powder-coated,
and did any other repetitive task
his employers asked.
" I just couldn't take it anymore, "
the 31-year-old said. " I couldn't
stand doing the same thing, just
standing in the same aisle. "
He has a jumpstart on other
students because he already
learned the basics of wiring and
electrical systems at a previous
technical school and has
worked on residential housing.
Internal combustion, though,
gets his motor running. His father
was a demolition derby racer,
which also has given him an edge.
" I've been working on those cars
since I could walk, " Lawson said.
" I was pretty proficient at it, so I
decided to go to the other end
of the spectrum with diesel. "
One reason is because he loves
farm equipment-and has already
talked to West Central Ag about
a job. Wherever he goes, the
positivity of the environment will
determine how long he stays.
" Morale is one of the biggest things
with me because every job I've had
out at those factories, the morale
was just crap, " he asserted. " People
were unhappy, didn't like the management-it
takes a toll on you. "
Matt Dalton, 30, also is from the
nearby city of Indiana, known
for being Jimmy Stewart's hometown.
After high school, Dalton
joined the Air Force and was a
B-52 crew chief in Louisiana.
» Instructor Rick Johnston (center) is molding the next
wave of diesel technicians at NVI-Blairsville, which includes
Brima Kallon (left) and Jay Gensemer (right).
Photo: John Hitch | Fleet Maintenance
" We would tow a jet into the
hangar and over a period of two
weeks would basically take the
jet apart, inspect everything, fix
what was broken, lubricate it,
put it back together, and send
it back out on the line, " Dalton
explained. He was essentially
the shop supervisor, coordinating
with different shops
and writing up work orders.
Stewart would likely approve-
the highly decorated World War
II aviator flew B-52 missions
for the Army/Air Force.
Dalton found only " dead-end jobs "
after the service, but the grant
to attend NVI at no cost may just
lead him to a wonderful life.
Despite his military experience
with training and managing people,
that life will likely be more
on the floor than in an office.
He prefers doing to teaching.
" I'm just excited to get into a
good work environment where I
can just do what I love-which is
just fixing things, " Dalton said.
Brima Kallon, who hails from
Boston, has the most experience,
having worked as a diesel
mechanic with his father already
and having run his own mobile
maintenance van. The 35-year-old
came to NVI to expand his skillset
and be able to work on more
complex electronic components
as well as get down to the " nitty
gritty " of diesel maintenance and
become more precise at repairs.
" I want to get the letters and
numbers, everything right. That's
why I'm here, " he emphasized.
He would prefer working for
a fleet but would be fine with
an independent shop or even
going back to road service.
" Being on the road for me is more
fun, and you make more money
being on the road, " he said.
What Kallon wants in an employer
is what nearly any technician,
from trainee to veteran,
wants-and deserves: " continuing
education, a place that I can
look forward to improving me
more, a 401k, and family time. "
These students are from vastly
different backgrounds, ages,
and experience, but the thing
they have in common is what
they want out of their future
employer: respect and fairness. If
a shop can't provide those, they
shouldn't be in business anyway.
24 Fleet Maintenance | July 2022
july2022

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